A

Arbanne (approx. 3 hectares): this "old" white grape variety produces a delicate quality wine, dry, lively, with a good bouquet, in good years with a good alcohol content, while maintaining good acidity, suitable for aging. It is susceptible to bad weather and difficult to press.

B

Blanc de Blanc : White wine from the Champagne region made exclusively from the white Chardonnay grape variety 

Blanc de Noir : White wine from the Champagne region made from the dark grape varieties Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier 

C

Chardonnay: A white grape, mainly found in the Côte des Blancs. A grape variety full of finesse and floral, sometimes even mineral notes.

Cru :   

Grand Cru (100%): there are 17 communes that may be called Grand Cru. They represent approximately 5% of the Champagne vineyards (4,000 ha). The communes are as follows: Ambonnay, Avize, Ay, Beaumont-sur-Vesle, Bouzy, Chouilly, Cramant, Louvois, Mailly-Champagne, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Oiry, Puisieulx, Sillery, Tours-sur-Marne, Verzenay, Verzy.

Premier Cru (90 to 99%): 44 communes are Premier Cru on 5,000 ha and represent 13% of the winegrowing area. These are: Avenay, Bergères-les-Vertus, Bezannes, Billy le Grand, Bisseuil, Chamery, Champillon, Chigny les Roses, Chouilly (PN), Coligny (CH), Cormontreuil, Coulommes la Montagne, Cuis, Cumières, Dizy, Ecueil, Etrechy (CH), Grauves, Hautvillers, Jouy les Reims, Les Mesneus, Ludes, Mareuil sur Aÿ, Montbré, Mutigny, Pargny les Reims, Pierry, Rilly la Montagne, Sacy, Sermiers, Taissy, Tauxières, Tours-sur-Marne (CH), Trépail, Trois Puits, Vaudemanges, Vertus, Villedommange, Villeneuve Renneville, Villers Allerand, Villers aux Noeuds, Villers Marmery, Voipreux, Vrigny.

Cuvée (la cuvée): In Champagne, the word has two meanings:

 1. refers to the first 2,050 liters of must obtained from the production of 4,000 kilograms of grapes pressed in a wine press.

 2. the result of the assemblage (blending of grape varieties)

D

Dosage (le dosage): After disgorgement, sugar is added to the Champagne using the "Liqueur d'expedition," a mixture of wine and sugar. There are various dosages to achieve different flavor profiles:

Nature: 0 g/liter added sugar

Extra brut : from 0 to 6 g sugar per liter 

Brut : less than 15 g/l 

Extra dry/ Sec/Trocken : between 12 and 20 g/l 

Trocken/ Dry/ Sec : between 17 and 35 g/l 

Halbtrocken (demi sec) : between 33 and 50 g/l 

Süß (doux) : more than 50 g/l 

Wire cage (le muselet): Consisting of two parts for the correct closure of the cork, the wire and the small tinplate shield, on which various illustrations, trademarks of the winegrowers and Champagne houses are displayed. They thus convey their logo, a vintage or a specific collection. These small shields are very popular with an increasing number of collectors. 

E

Label (l’étiquette): the label must contain the following information: 

 - The word "Champagne" 

- The dosage: Brut, Sec, Doux,… 

- The alcohol content - The commercial registration (l’immatriculation professionnelle) 

- The name of the cooperative or winemaker who processed the grapes, must and Champagne wine 

- The vintage (millésime) if it is a vintage Champagne 

- The indication that the Champagne comes from Premier Cru or Grand Cru vineyards (rare)

- The indication that the Champagne is " Blanc de Blanc" or "Blanc de Noir". Registration: The various possibilities for winemakers or Champagne houses to market their Champagne: The commercial 

Registration must follow these criteria: 

RM = Récoltant Manipulant: Means that the winegrower cultivates his own vineyards, produces the wine himself and bottles and markets the bottles himself. 

RC: Récoltant Coopérateur : Means that the winegrower cultivates his own vineyards, gives his harvest to the cooperative, which processes the grapes. The winegrower takes back the wine or the bottles to market them himself. 

CM: Coopérateur Manipulant : The cooperative markets the harvest of the members themselves under their name. 

NM: Négociant Manipulant : These are individuals or companies that buy grapes, wine or Champagne bottles to further process and market them. 

ND: Négociant Distributeur : Individuals or companies that buy finished Champagne bottles to market them under their own name (own labels). 

MA: Marque d'Acheteur : Are individuals who have nothing to do with Champagne production and market their own brand, e.g. house brand in a restaurant. 

F

Bottle (la bouteille): there are different sizes for Champagne bottles 

Quart / Quarter (20 cl) 

Demie / Half (0.375 l) 

Bouteille / Standard bottle (0.75) 

Magnum (1.5 l = 2 bottles) 

Jéroboam (3 l = 4 bottles) 

Réhoboam (4.5 l) 

Mathusalem (6 l = 8 bottles) 

Salmanazar (9 l = 12 bottles) 

Balthasar (12 l = 16 bottles) 

Nabuchodonosor/Nebukadnezar (15 l = 20 bottles) 

Filtration : Removal of particles (turbidity) from the young wine using technical equipment with the help of filters or filter material 

G

Fermentation (alcoholic): Alcoholic fermentation can take place in wooden containers (barrels, vats etc.), but the vast majority of wine producers prefer stainless steel and thermoregulated tanks with a capacity between 25 and several hundred hectoliters. The content of each container is clearly identified by specifying the Cru, juice type, grape variety and vintage. The pre-clarified must is chaptalized by adding sugar if necessary, whereby the alcohol content at the end of the fermentation process must not exceed 11%. The fermentation process is controlled by the addition of special active liquid or dry yeast cultures (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The yeast cultures convert the sugar into alcohol and carbonic acid. In addition, they produce numerous molecules (higher alcohols, esters) in the course of the fermentation process, which refine the taste and aroma of the wine. This fermentation lasts about two weeks and takes place with strong heat development, so that the temperature must be throttled to 18 to 20°C in order to preserve the aromas and prevent an interruption of the fermentation process. During fermentation, temperature and density must be checked daily. 

Fermentation (malolactic): The process is also known as biological acid reduction (BSA), bacterial malic acid degradation, microbial acid degradation or malic-lactic acid fermentation. If malolactic fermentation takes place, it occurs after the completion of alcoholic fermentation. In this fermentation, Oenococcus bacteria convert malic acid into lactic acid. In addition, this fermentation process also produces other substances that influence the organoleptic properties of the wine. Malolactic fermentation is primarily intended to reduce the tartaric acid and gives the wine a typical buttery-creamy malolactic note. 

It is a strategic decision of the cellar master, which is made with regard to the desired end product. Some wine producers prevent malolactic fermentation, while others carry it out either for all wines or a part of them. In Champagne, it is very often carried out. If malolactic fermentation is desired, the cellar temperature is regulated to approx. 18°C and the wine barrels are inoculated with selected freeze-dried bacterial cultures. During the fermentation process, the total acidity is continuously monitored. After four to six weeks, the fermentation is complete and the wine is drawn off from the fermentation barrels and clarified. 

Malolactic fermentation, short and simple: after alcoholic fermentation, new bacteria are added to the wine to reduce the acidity of the wine. 

H

On the lees: Legal regulations stipulate that a non-vintage Champagne must mature in the cellar for 15 months, 12 of which on the lees. For vintage Champagne, the legal maturation period is 3 years from bottling. Most producers extend the maturation period by several years. The lees on which the Champagne matures consist of cultures that have multiplied and settled in the bottle. After the effervescence is complete, the yeast cultures gradually die through autolysis. Their cell contents dissolve, releasing molecules that interact with those of the wine and slowly change. When maturing on the lees, two phenomena can be observed: the dissolution of the yeast cultures and the slow oxidation by the oxygen that enters the bottle through the closure. They contribute to the development of what are known as tertiary aromas. The floral and fruity notes of young Champagne gradually develop first the taste of ripe fruit, which later turn into compote and dried fruit aromas, to finally unfold undergrowth notes and finally roasted aromas in old age. 

K

Clarification: Clarification takes place through fining, filtering (diatomaceous earth, sheet, membrane, cartridge filters) or centrifuging. After all solid particles have been removed, the base wine, known as "Vin Clair", is present. The base wine is identified by grape variety, vintage, Cru or parcel, Vin de Cuvée or Vin de Taille and then subjected to assemblage, the blending of different wines, which is also called "Cuvée" in Champagne. 

Cork (le bouchon): the cork is always made of cork to ensure tightness, it is held by the wire cage (le muselet). 

M

Millésime : if the wine of a harvest is exceptionally good, the cuvée can be made exclusively from the wine of this vintage and is called " millésime". 

Minerality: Minerality is the range of aromas and flavors associated with the soil. The particularly prevalent chalk of the Champagne soils gives the Champagne wines a special, delicate and soft minerality. 

P

Petit Meslier (approx. 4 hectares): is a white grape variety that originated in the Champagne wine region. It was still widespread there in the 19th century and is still permitted for the production of Champagne for historical reasons, but now plays only an insignificant role in terms of quantity. Since the yields are comparatively low, it was almost completely abandoned in favor of Chardonnay. Petit Meslier produces a wine of good quality, pleasantly fragrant, rich in alcohol, fine, lively, slightly sparkling and with an aromatic typicality. Petit Meslier is susceptible to botrytis. 

Pinot blanc (approx. 80 hectares): or Weissburgunder produces pleasant, slightly full-bodied wines, generally with average acidity. Today, due to climatic changes, the Pinot Blanc vines are much less vigorous and produce grapes of very good quality, which are not to be envied by Chardonnay. 

Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder, Blauburgunder): A dark blue grape with white juice, mostly grown in the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Bars. It gives the wine aromas of red fruits and gives them power and body. 

Pinot Meunier (Müllerrebe or Schwarzriesling): A dark blue grape with white juice, mainly from the Vallée de la Marne. It is characterized by its suppleness. The wines are round and have a full bouquet. 

R

Grape variety (le cépage): The three authorized grape varieties in Champagne are: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The distribution of the three grape varieties in the entire Champagne region is as follows: 74% for dark grapes (37% for Pinot Noir, 37% for Pinot Meunier) and 26% for Chardonnay, white grape. 

Reserve wine (le vin de réserve): Every winemaker always keeps a portion of the harvest for at least 2 or 3 years, mostly in fermentation tanks at 12-13°C. This represents both a security for the coming years in case of a bad harvest, but also the possibility to ensure the quality of the Champagne over the years. 

Rosé: we owe the invention of the first blend of rosé Champagne to the famous Veuve Cliquot. That was in 1818. Madame Barbe-Nicole Cliquot-Ponsardin was dissatisfied that Champagne had to be enriched with elderberries to shimmer in rosé. She then had the brilliant idea of adding red wine from the region (approx. 15%) to the white Champagnes. A red wine made from the house's vineyards in the village of Bouzy. Two centuries later, one in ten Champagnes is a rosé Champagne. Since 1990, demand has risen incessantly. Every house, every winemaker now offers one or two rosé Champagnes. 

With us you will find normal Rosé Champagne, special Rosé or more powerful Rosé de Saignée, which get their color from the maceration of the blue grape. 

T

Taille (la taille): The 2nd and 3rd musts obtained after the "marriage" of the Cuvée. 

Taille (pruning): After the grape harvest is completed, the next step is pruning. As soon as the vines have shed their leaves, pruning begins. No pruning is done during the winter dormancy period of the plants from mid-December to mid-January. After that, pruning can be done until March. Once the vine has fully developed four leaves, no further pruning is allowed. Pruning improves nutrient circulation, ensuring that the buds are better supplied and that the growth and fertility of the vine are optimally coordinated. The vine is given a shape that ensures an even distribution of the leaves and provides optimal photosynthesis and ventilation of the fruit clusters. Regular rejuvenation pruning on the trunk can control growth. 

V

Vins clairs (still wines): Before Champagne becomes a sparkling wine, it is a normal still wine that winemakers, cellar masters and oenologists taste with great attention every year starting in January. A brief reminder: the grapes were harvested in September, pressed and then filled into fermentation tanks for the 1st fermentation, usually per grape variety and mostly per parcel. After the 1st fermentation and malolactic fermentation have taken place in winter, the winemakers, cellar masters and oenologists begin to taste these wines, which are in all fermentation tanks, meaning the entire harvest of the previous year. A gigantic task, so to speak… 

This tasting, fermentation tank by fermentation tank, allows the oenologists and winemakers to determine the following: 

- What is the latest harvest like in terms of aromas, quality and ageing potential?
- If the quality is outstanding, can this harvest be bottled as a vintage (Millésime), or perhaps only a part of it?
- Deciding on the composition of future Champagnes and aiming to achieve the same quality as the previous year: what percentage of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier or Chardonnay in this or that cuvée? Is the Chardonnay livelier than the previous year? Should more or less of it be added to the Brut? etc., etc.

Once all these questions have been answered, the wines are blended and then bottled (tirage), where the secondary fermentation (prise de mousse) takes place for at least 15 months. The Champagne, lying in the cellar, will begin its ageing process and develop its full aromas.

W

Wine Region (le vignoble): In the Champagne region, there are 4 main areas. They represent approximately 3% of France's wine regions:

- The Montagne de Reims (101 communes, 7,960 ha of vineyards with 24% Chardonnay, 36% Pinot Meunier and 40% Pinot Noir) is a broad plateau, with vineyards on the slopes between the valleys of the Ardre and the Vesle in the north and the Marne Valley in the south, a regional nature reserve.

- The Vallée de la Marne (100 communes, 11,593 ha with 16% Chardonnay, 62% Pinot Meunier and 22% Pinot Noir), where the vineyards rise on both sides of the Marne River and follow its meanders, from Aÿ to the Aisne, via Château-Thierry.

- The Côte des Blancs and Sézannais (55 communes, 5,808 ha with 82% Chardonnay, 9% Pinot Meunier and 9% Pinot Noir), whose vineyards follow the course of the cliff running from north to south, connecting Epernay with the slopes of Sézannais.

- The Côte des Bar (63 communes, 6,817 ha with 7% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Meunier and 88% Pinot Noir): where the gently sloping hills, located between the Seine and the Aube in the south of Champagne, form a peaceful landscape.

Cru (le cru): Each "Cru" represents a commune; there are 319 communes that can be called Champagne villages. Each village is classified according to the commercial value of the grapes. This value is based on the quality of the grapes. Their quality depends on various criteria, such as sun exposure, soil quality, etc. There are 3 village denominations in the Champagne region: the Grand Crus (100%), the "Premier Cru" (90 to 99%), and those "without Cru" (80 to 89%). The price of the grapes is set each year and is based on this classification. This means that winemakers or producers can sell their grapes or Champagne according to these percentages.

- Grand Cru (100%): There are 17 communes that can be called Grand Cru. They represent approximately 5% of the Champagne vineyards (4,000 ha). The communes are: Ambonnay, Avize, Ay, Beaumont-sur-Vesle, Bouzy, Chouilly, Cramant, Louvois, Mailly-Champagne, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Oiry, Puisieulx, Sillery, Tours-sur-Marne, Verzenay, Verzy.

- Premier Cru (90 to 99%): 44 communes are Premier Cru, covering 5,000 ha and representing 13% of the vineyard area. They are: Avenay, Bergères-les-Vertus, Bezannes, Billy le Grand, Bisseuil, Chamery, Champillon, Chigny les Roses, Chouilly (PN), Coligny (CH), Cormontreuil, Coulommes la Montagne, Cuis, Cumières, Dizy, Ecueil, Etrechy (CH), Grauves, Hautvillers, Jouy les Reims, Les Mesneus, Ludes, Mareuil sur Aÿ, Montbré, Mutigny, Pargny les Reims, Pierry, Rilly la Montagne, Sacy, Sermiers, Taissy, Tauxières, Tours-sur-Marne (CH), Trépail, Trois Puits, Vaudemanges, Vertus, Villedommange, Villeneuve Renneville, Villers Allerand, Villers aux Noeuds, Villers Marmery, Voipreux, Vrigny.

- Sans Cru (80 to 89%): This is the rest, about 23,000 ha, representing 70% of the Champagne vineyards.

Winey: A positive term (French: vinosité, vinosity) used in wine tasting to essentially describe the presence of alcohol in conjunction with other characteristics, such as the total extract content. It describes the taste of a wine as pleasantly warming. This is directly related to a certain alcohol content; below 11% vol, a wine can generally no longer be described as "winey". This is more pronounced at higher temperatures, as at lower temperatures the taste of alcohol is neutralised. A high alcohol content alone does not make a full-bodied wine, but alcohol can enhance the overall impression and positively round it off.

Z

Blending (l’assemblage): The practice of "marrying" wines from different grape varieties and years (called reserve wines), as well as different sites, plots, or parcels. The winemaker or oenologist tries to give the wine its harmony and personality with the different components, which explains why every Champagne tastes or looks different.

If you would like an explanation for other terms, please write to us at: info@champagne24.de